U.S. Highway 50

U.S. 50 begins in Ocean City and ends in Sacramento where it intersects with I-80. At one time it extended to San Francisco, but when the Interstate Highway system began and I-80 was named, U.S. 50 as an officially designated route from Sacramenton to San Francisco ceased to exist on paper. Many old timers, however, argue that you can change the name of Arkansas but you can't change the state. To them U.S. 50 is still U.S. 50.

Between Ocean City and Sacramento, U.S. 50 crosses Maryland, D.C., Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California. We've traveled U.S. 50 through all if the Western states beginning in Kansas City, Missouri. And at its Eastern end, we are somewhat familiar with the route from just East of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to D.C.

Whwn we traveled the route, the automobile was still the major means of intercontinental travel. The drive from Kansas City to San Francisco took a couple of days driving non-stop, except for something to eat and freshen up. Stopping overnight added a couple of days.

In those days, the road was a two-lane highway with twists and turns, not an easy drive. And instead of skirting towns, it split them in half. The towns added variety to the seemingly endless wheat fields and deserts. Today, U.S. 50 through, for example, Kansas, is a boring drive. Rest stops aren't the same as towns.

Okay, that's all the time I have right now. If you have any memories of U.S. 50, share them with us if you wish.